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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Some of Cam Cameron's questionable decisions

Monday night's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was disappointing in that it was another game the Dolphins might have won were it not for one play here or there, one coaching decision here or there.

We all know, and grudgingly accept, that Miami's talent misses opportunities to make plays. That cannot be addressed until more talent is drafted or acquired through free agency or trade. But the frustrating thing is some of the coaching decisions that are made never seem to help the team.

Normally, I accept coaching decisions because these guys know more football than the rest of us. They are professionals. But this season, Miami coach Cam Cameron has made it practically a habit to make questionable decisions, decisions that don't seem to pay off in loss, after loss, after loss.

It has become habitual to the point that I am not really concerned you readers will think me second-guessing when I point them out to you. So what follows is a log of some of Cameron's questionable decisions he has made this regular-season and what their results wrought. I am not including ALL the questionable decisions because, frankly, not every decision affects the game's outcome.

Here are the ones that did, in my opinion:

Pittsburgh3, Miami0: Tied 0-0 the Dolphins are faced with a fourth-and-15 from the Steelers 31 yard line. Instead of attempting a 48-yard field goal or punting to pin the Steelers deep in their territory, Cameron goes for it. John Beck is sacked for an 8 yard loss.

Later, in the first minute of the fourth quarter actually, the Dolphins drive to the Pittsburgh 20 where they attempt a 37 yard field goal. It misses, but a delay of game penalty gives Miami new life with a fourth-and-11 at the Pittsburgh 25 yard line. Instead of trying a 42 yard field goal, Cameron goes for it and Beck is sacked and fumbles. The Dolphins do not score in the game.

Philadelphia 17, Dolphins 7: The Dolphins trail 17-7 with 6:45 left to play. They have a fourth-and-1 situation at the Eagles' 1 yard line. So Cameron calls a timeout.

Coming out of the time out he elects not to kick the field goal. He elects to run the ball with running back Jesse Chatman, who has a sprained ankle. He elects to pitch the ball back to that injured player at the 7 yard line, effectively turning a 1-yard run into a 7-yard run, and he does it, knowing the play calls for no blocking on defensive end Juqua Thomas. Instead of getting out of position, Thomas is waiting for Chatman and tackles him for a 13-yard loss. The game effectively is over because Miami gets no points in a two possession game and doesn’t get the ball back until 13 seconds remain.

The next day, Cameron admits the fourth-down call was a “risk."

Buffalo13, Dolphins10: Cameron ignores calls from fans and media to start John Beck. He goes with ineffective Cleo Lemon. But even before the game, Cameron sensed Beck was ready and said he was, “the most prepared to play, even against Buffalo.”

“I saw that early in the game in the warm-ups," Cameron says the day AFTER the game. "I just sensed that had he gotten an opportunity to play in the Buffalo game he would have played well.”

So Cameron sensed his future quarterback would have played well but didn’t make the change. Instead Lemon plays the entire game and doesn't throw a touchdown or interception while managing a poor 66.9 quarterback rating, his second lowest rating in five starts.

It doesn't end there. The Dolphins lead the game 3-0 at halftime and the Bills fail to score on their first possession of the second half. But Miami is pinned at its 2 yard line. Does Cameron do the conservative thing and run the ball out of the shadow of his end zone? No, he passes on second-and-7 from the Dolphins 5 yard line and the pass falls incomplete.

On third down, he calls a slow developing pass play with a five step drop. Lemon, in his own end zone, holds the ball too long and is sacked for a safety. Momentum shifts.

Houston 22, Miami19: The Dolphins are leading 16-13 with 6:30 to play. Starting quarterback Trent Green is out of the game and backup Cleo Lemon is in for the first time in 2007. The Dolphins are marching using Ronnie Brown, who has gained 33 yards on four carries and has delivered three first downs.

So on second-and-9 from the Houston 30, in a game Jay Feely has already kicked three field goals, does Cameron ride his emerging and hot running back or does he put the game in the backup quarterback’s hands? He picks the QB.

And so on second down, Lemon holds the ball and is sacked for an 8-yard loss. Then on third down he completes a pass for no gain. Instead of being in position to kick a field goal, the Dolphins must punt.

Surely a lesson learned right? Wrong. With the game tied at 19, the Dolphins have a second-and-9 situation at the Houston 38 yard line. Coming out of the two minute warning, do the Dolphins give the ball to Brown to get within field goal range and also milk the clock? Nope, they pass. They pass incomplete on second down, then incomplete again on third down, eating only nine seconds off the clock.

The stage is now set for defeat. Houston gets the ball at its own 3 yard line and drives 59 yards in 1:32 to win the game with a field goal.

Jets31, Dolphins 28: The Dolphins offense is playing well but the special teams coverage unit is struggling, allowing a 98-yard kickoff return to Leon Washington in the first quarter.

Apparently stunned by the return, Cameron doesn’t get his coaching staff to adjust their coverage right then and there on the sideline. but rather orders kicker Jay Feely to squib kick each of the next two times the Dolphins kick off before halftime. The coach later says the kickoff adjustment, which might have been made on the sideline, was eventually made at halftime.

The problem is one of the two squibs Cameron orders, gives the Jets the ball at their own 43, setting them up for a 59-yard TD drive in the final 1:34 of the half. The scoring drive proves crucial as the Jets win by three points.

There you have it. I didn't mention the blown timeout situation before the half in Washington or the lack of urgency in trying to mount a comeback against the Giants in London. I also didn't mention using Marty Booker on a QB sneak in that London game -- yeah, he fumbled. Those plays didn't affect the outcome of the game.

But the list of decisions that did affect games is staggering. And depressing.

119 Comments:

Armando you are right on the mark. is there anyway you could e-mail your comments to mr wayne H. IM not sure if he can see this or he just dont care. if not for the fans the players deserve better then his play calling.

hagan does suck i agree....You can second guess all night long but cmon Armando its about the talent, injuries and youth of the team and coaches. Non of these calls are that significant when you factor in how bad special teams and the defense was in the games you mentioned. I think that we just dont have skills to pay...(you know the rest....)

Cameron is terrible. He looks absolutely lost out there. They are the most mundane and predictable offensive in football. Some offensive genius. If I have to see Marty Booker run one more fly pattern, while Ginn keeps running five yard outs. Seriously, I can probably beat Booker in a footrace, terrible..... The good news is he will be around to mess-up the first and 32nd pick, next year. I cannot wait.

I respect your article for the most part. I have been an avid Dolfan for my entire life and enjoy reading about them when I have the chance. I also enjoy your thoughts and opinions on some things, but I want your comment on what is going out on the AP wire.It says "Williams was injured in the second quarter Monday on a playwhen he fumbled. After being tackled, he was accidentally stepped on while chest-down on the ground". This cannot be further from the truth. He was not "accidently" stepped on. It was obvious that the guy STOMPED on Ricky's back so he didn't retrieve the fumble.Why are you not writing about this?? This bothers me as a die hard dolfan. Love or Hate Ricky, there is no place in the NFL forassaults. This is the only time I have ASKED for a response from you. As a reader of yours - do me the honor please?! Any one else haveany comments?? The video can be accessed online - it is posted a various sites.

You forgot to mention the numerous delay of game penalties he gave up by not thinking ahead. I just dont know, he is a offensive genious but his record has shown that he does not make smart in game descisions. I was not up for firing him, but given the circumstances and the thought of going 0-16, well if he doesnt win against the Jets this weeks i for one would have to can him. It doenst take a genious to win football games, just someone who seizes the opportunity and calls a smart mistake free game, we should have won those games even with third stringers. The opportunities were there in plenty and some can say its because our players didnt produce, well how about the coaches, they share blame too. If he doesnt put together a win in a weeks or two its time to bring in someone who can, if only for the sake of not beeing embarrased for eternity. Heck we take way too much crap from everyone now imagine if we were perfectly horrible...

I definitely agree with the artiicle. I think Cams decisions are bad as hes making them not after the fact. Im no football genius but I know the game and the Fins enough to know the probabilty of what gives the best chance to win. Cam is bad at managing the clock and time outs too, thats obvious.

I thought Cameron would make a difference when they hired him. I'm not sure now if any decision made would make a difference with this team. Let's face it, with all the injuries and bad luck, this team really sucks with the current crop of players. And it's not just a few positions. It's the whole damn team. The punter sucks; special teams suck; receivers can't catch the ball; the offensive calls suck; now we don't have any RBs; etc, etc, etc. All Cameron wants to do is run the ball. Throw the damn thing and make these receivers get some experience. I have no idea how many years it will take this team to get competitive enough to make a run at the playoffs. Probably more time than my patience will take. I find myself getting further and further away from the Dolphins. Since I don't live in Miami, I have a feeling the national following is dwindling. With directv you can become a fan of any team and get all their games. It just makes you sick to watch all the mistakes. Taylor and Thomas are reaching the end of their careers and now they'll have to be replaced in addition to all the other positions. It will be a long dry spell.

I'd like to echo the sentiment on the stomp. Why is the national media ignoring the blatant stomp? Have the Fins filed a complaint with the commissioner's office? I think it merits a fine at the least...

Yeah Cam has definitely made some questionable decisions. It seems like he trys to think TOO much. Sometimes you have to keep it simple and play it by the book. He's always trying to come up with the thing that will catch the other team off guard instead of doing what they expect us to do. Our players are too young to be able to pull that off. KEEP IT SIMPLE so the rookies don't have to think much. In turn they will feel more comfortable executing plays.

Pittsburgh LB Timmons is a thug and should be fined. If he did that to one of the stars of league i.e. Brady or God forbid Farve, he would not only recieve a fine but probably be suspended. Someone in the organization has to file a complaint to the league. I'm confident Shula would have never put up with that. That stomp was more than an intentional act to injure. It was a sign of a lack of respect to the organization and a fellow player. F*ck the Steelers! Cam, be a leader and stick up for your guys!

Speaking of bad decisions I have noticed a lot of people saying that they want Cowher or Parcells to coach the team next year. I don't know if that's such a great idea. Both of these guys left football because they didn't want to coach anymore, the same thing Jimmy Johnson did and when he came back his heart wasn't in it. Do we want that to happen again? What does everyone else think? And to the guy saying he wants PETE CARROLL, are you crazy?! Don't you remember him running down the sidelines like an immature selfish baby holding his hands to his throat in a choke sign after the Dolphins missed a field goal against the Jets? He is the ultimate classless coach and that move right there proves it. NO PETE CARROLL!

If TONY HOMO or TOM BRADY would have been stomped on like that, the "national" media would have thrown a hissy fit. I notoced it right away and no one else saw it? PLEASE! It was disgustingly blatant. My gut is wrenching all day evey day over this season. I can't wait to ENJOY a game again someday. I'll just stick wit it and try to find the possitives-Beck, Ginn, O-line.

I agree with the comment that Cameron thinks too much. I don't just think he's trying do what the other team least expects. In fact, I wish the offense was a little less predictable. But what Cameron seems to do is to overthink and thus, choke. He's smart. He's capable. But it's never about winning with the guy. His philosophy should be "just win.'' INstead, it's, develop, give a good effort, be a class guy, ect. Too much focus on that stuff. He's a classic rookie coach. His learning curve is about the same as Ginn's. Maybe he'll get better.

The Dolphins lost the Pittsburgh game in the 1st quarter, not the 4th. Pitt has the 2nd ranked rush defense and 22nd ranked pass defense. So what does bone head do?Calls for running plays on 11 of the first 13 plays. What really got me is when we stoped Pitt at about our 40 yard line after they went for it on 4th down. Bone head called 3 straight running plays; the last of which Ricky got hurt.THROW THE DAMN BALL! Bring back Shula to mentor Cameron or get rid of him already.

cameron is an offensive cord.NOT a head coach, hell he thinks he can get 4th downs. he MUST GO and take your buddy randy and do whatever it takes to get Mr. Cower to miami. stop our bleeding Wayne!!!!please we are SICK

Armando, this is a pretty good list. The only one I disagree with is the 4th and 1 situation versus PHI. I think you go for it on 4th and 1, though a dive play would have been my call on four straight plays. Why not bring in Truck as a lead blocker in that situation?

Look people...yes cam is messing up wit sum plays...but you need to realize that he doesnt have the weapons to do the obvious things. U need to understand that is he is tryin to make sumthang out of nuthin!!! I Acknowledge the fact the Armando is correct about all those bad calls, but with players that he has now you know you have to risk calls and hope that they pay off, because if you don't risk there's no reward!!!!! Well finz fans Dont worry miami will be back and ready next year.....Just let John Beck get comfortable and watch beck to ginn will be the connection all day.....JUST wait..and for all you NFl news go to ---

Last night's game was as close as the Dolphins have come to a win in a long-time. I was stunned that Cam called those two plays that Armando pointed out. Those bad calls lost this game for us. Not to mention Ricky's brief comeback. He was intentionally "stomped" by that defender. That a$$hole should be fined!!!

I think I summed this up several weeks ago by simply saying that "Cam is a douche." This list is nowhere NEAR all-inclusive, and half of the reason we lack talent is because we pissed it all away! The other half, happens to be that we are seriously plagued with injuries...What, 11-12 players on IR? Isn't there a limit?

As far as the rumblin' fumbler gettin' stomped. I DEFINATELY thought it was intentional initially, but looking at it, it COULD HAVE been an accident, or simply a hard surface to put the plant foot down and change direction (which doesn't necessarily make it malicious). Either way, I'm surprised nobody questioned it either way. What's done is done though, and nothing will change the fact that Ricky's season is over.

What I'd like to know, moving FORWARD, is whether Chatman is going to be alright or not!

I am really disappointed in the Herald reporters this time. Armando's article on Ricky was a complete farce. Ricky is now out for the year. And not one Herald reporter has the sense or insight to point out the blatant foul which was the cause of the injury. A blatant stomp on the back should be obvious to even the most casual observer and THAT was worth mentioning. Your pathetic "insight" into Ricky's effectiveness wasn't worth the toilet paper you used to formulate the idea for your article.

More important than your illogical and juvenile talent assessments as regards Ricky, there are some serious problems on the Dolphins which bear mentioning - the rash of injuries points to a failure in conditioning and training these players in the preseason and the game results reflect an abysmal lack of coaching ability. Top it off with a game plan that doesn't begin to demand enough of Beck and the other rookies in order to assess them and the Dolphins are in even worse shape next year. If Cam remains head coach and Dom remains in charge of the defense, the Dolphins may not win a game next year. Further, the next idiot who suggests Cam was an offensive genius should look at who else runs that same offense - Norv Turner... yet another guy who can never manage to succeed anywhere if elevated above offensive coordinator.

The call in the Philly game was laughable, you don't call that play on Madden football. Stupid, bone-brained call, not to mention kind of cowardly. You're on the 1, ram it home.

Re: Monday nite in Pittsburgh, those 4th down calls were sad. Given the circumstances, you punt and pin them back & keep playing the field position game. Even a FG attempt makes more sense & has a better chance of actually resulting in some points.

Cameron has had almost 3/4 of the season to demonstrate that whatever he's trying to do in Miami might eventually work. They're 0-11, I think that record speaks for itself. I loathed Wannstedt & I was never too impressed by Coach Quitter either, but they never hung up any 0-11 starts. If Coach Cam can't wring a "W" out of his team this year, I say he has to go.

Marc you sit there and call the head coach names, but despite your opinions and ramblings you will never ever know 1/100 of what he knows about football, about the players he has to work with, and what his reasons are for make his decisions. Yep, even he would agree he made some bad decisions. Every coach does. Bottom line, like him or not, he is still due the respect he has earned. Look at the Chargers with him and without him. It amazes me how many 'fans' actually think they know more about football than the coaches.

I just want to wholeheartedly agree with the anonymous post above stating the Heralds dismal treatment of Ricky. The guy was attacked. The guy had a few runs in a mud pool and you go off judging him so harshly. It's sad. Maybe you guys are bitter about his problems...look, he didn't quite the team, he knew he was busted for smoke and was going to be suspended anyway, he tood the most favorable road out of that situation. The guy has earned his way back into this league and despite all the puff jokes, he is more of a role model than 75% of the players in the NFL. Some will snicker at that, but its your own biased foolishness.

I too, am skeptical about labeling him as "Offensive Genuis". There were a few games we scored a decent amount of points, yet, where are we now? An improved offensive line (which is by no means ELITE I must also add), no thanks to Cam, I believe that's a credit to Houck, no? The game was "Ideal" for hook patterns, just like one of the routes Teddy caught a decent gain on, yet, it wasn't used enough. The flea flicker worked, the reverse didn't. Aside from the "trick" plays, I see very little creativity, or diversity in the play-calling. I never claimed to know 1/100th of what an NFL head coach knows, yet, I hardly consider Cam a worthy head coach! What I DO know, is that if I had Teddy, he would be running fly patterns AT LEAST twice every quarter, from DAY 1! It doesn't take an "offensive genuis" to realize that someone else ISN'T one! According to that last comment I shouldn't have anything negative to say about Wandstadt either, cause he was an NFL coach.

Don, get in touch with reality man, a pothead is not a role model I'd want my, or ANYONE's children admiring! He took the favorable way out? (By quitting, when he knew he would be SUSPENDED, from violating the NFL's SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICY for the 4th time!, and the LAW!) If that's not an oxymoron, I don't know what is!

as much as it pains me to say, the Dolphins going 0-16 is no more of a fluke than the Pats going 16-0. It's all about coaching and play calling at this point and Bill B has it, and Cam doesn't. What NFL caliber team goes 0-16 in the year 2007? This league is based on parity, so all things considered, there is a huge void on our coaching end.

I think what the deal was Ricky quit to avoid the invevitable suspension. Either way he would not have been able to play that season. We have rapists like Mike Tyson getting back in the ring for millions of dollars because he 'paid his dues'. Sick, I agree. At least Ricky never was a criminal, and sought the road to recovery, and kept himself in shape. I don't know about a role model, but I think if people screw up you don't hold it against them forever if they have redeemed themselves. We are not exactly talking about OJ here...

Well put Don! couldn't agree more with what you said bout Ricky. Kornheiser on more than one occasion said last night that Ricky QUIT the team which wasnt the case because he was going to get suspended anyhow......The stomp on Ricky was clearly intentional. Timmons should be suspended for at least 1 game and the reason its not getting national attention is because ESPN doesnt give a damn about Ricky. They have been labeling him a cancer for years. If someone would have stomped on LT or Peterson they would have spent 10 mins on it replaying the play and getting the analysts to give their "expert" opinions. Sportscenter is garbage and is so biased in their reporting

Another thing...I'd like to have heard your assessment of Jimmy Johnson during and after his first season of 1-15. No doubt you'd be ripping him too. I say give the guy a reasonable chance. With what he inherited and all the injuries, he has not yet had a reasonable chance.

Yep, I am shocked as well at the silent treatment given to that blatant attack. It's politics, and I find it a bit bizzare so many people are anti-RIcky because he smoked weed, allegedly to alleviate a personality disorder. Whether that is true or not, its besides the point. These same scalp head hipocrits will be cheering pacman jones in no time. Even Joey Porter, quite a thug, doesn't get the bashing Ricky gets. Talk about a double standard.

People are so anti-Ricky because they eat up whatever Sportscenter feeds them. Its why so many people hate on T.O. The guy has one of the best work ethics of all the players in this league, doesn't get in trouble with the law, and always gives his best efforts on the field yet people don't like him because the people at Sportscenter don't like him. Granted, he hasn't always said the right things but he was being honest in his answers to the questions he was asked. Sportscenter makes him out to be a bad guy (although not so much this season) and i remember they actually questioned whether he should be inducted into the Hall after he retires because of his inability to get along with his QBs. Yea its ok to not induct him for not getting along with QBs, but its ok to induct michael irvin, a person who had many off field issues including drugs like cocaine. that makes sense

Glad to see your finally on board Armando. I understand as a reporter that you cant jump to conclusions and have to give the benefit of the doubt. But at this point there is no doubt. CamMoron is the worst coach since Rich Kotite. I have been saying this since watching the strange and horribly managed preseason. Actually I thought Cam was a terrible playcaller since the second half of the Pats-Chargers playoff game.

Any regular reader of this blog knows that I have been calling for Cams head virtually all season. Back then I was lambasted and ridiculed for my thoughts but its nice to see that most everyone has now come on board. I am sure Cam lover Drum Fin Fan will still spout about his greatness and the need for stability but that is just asinine. That is like starting to date a girl, realizing she is the devil incarnate, but keeping her around because you dont want to switch girlfriends and you hope she will change. You have to eventually take garbage to the trash or else the whole house will stink and right now the Dolphin house is reeking. And I dont think its just Huzienga's corpse stinking up the place. With so many high early round drafts picks the fins need a plan and soon. Like I said since week two Parcells as GM and Cowher as head coach.

give cam a break its his first year as head coach. yes he had head coaching experience at Indiana but thats NCAA. give him some time he's learning.. we cant go through firing a head coach every year cause he doesnt get us to the Super Bowl like the Raiders or like we do with QBs. The fact is he drafted John Beck who looked about as good as i've ever seen a Dolphins QB since Marino. and Ginn is a monster, he catches everything thats thrown to him.. well the passes that are catchable. Samson Satele is the anchor of the most improved Offensive Line in the league. Not to mention in San Diego he brought in Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates. Now Miami has a few good RBs and an improving QB, maybe all he needs is a reliable TE like in SD? I can almost guarantee that the 32nd pick is going to be a TE.. idk about the #1 pick.. maybe trade down(not out of the top 5-10) and get more picks. I wouldn't mind seeing Darrent McFadden in a Fins uniform either.

My gut reaction after another poorly played, poorly coached game was fire Cam Cameron. Armando outlined numerous shaky (at best) and amateurish decisions made my CC all year long. Yes, he's a first year head coach, and much like all rookies, he's given some room to make mistakes and learn, and hopefully get better. But, what we've consistently seen is his lack of readiness, preparedness, or understanding of game management. Usually, the rookies that don't get it, get benched. We can't do that with the head coach. So, we let him plug away and flounder the rest of the season until he figures it out. Frustrating. He's outstanding as an o-coordinator...that's proven. He's done it with tons of talent in SD, and made the most of the rag-tag group he inherited from that jack@ss before him. Anyone miss last year's offense? Didn't think so. But, CC is NOT ready to be a head coach. That's also proven. He gets a pass for this season because of all the adversity/injuries/setbacks the team experienced this year. Trent Green, Ronnie Brown, Yeremiah, Renaldo Hill, Travares Tillman - all out for the season. Zach hurt for the majority of the season. Chambers traded. Your starting tailback was out of football for the past 2 years. Because of that, 2008 is truly his evaluation year. If he can't turn it around after a #1 overall pick, a last place schedule, and a year under his belt - he should get the pink slip served to him faster than a Marino to Duper skinny post pattern. I'm getting nostalgic.

It's evident also, that even if we give Cam the benefit of the doubt (as a rookie head coach in the NFL), he's not showing improvement with regard to these questionable calls as the season has progressed.

The stuff you mention -- Tip of The Iceberg. Try these: 37 year old Trent Green can make it through a season coming off a concussion behind an Offensive Line ranked 45th in a 32-Team League. What the Flounders really need with the 9th Overall Draft Pick is a Punt Returner who goes down when the first guy touches him. (Somewhat related to this: we drafted Ted Ginn for his speed, so let's send Marty Booker deep.) Our defense was ranked 5th in the League last year running the scheme Nickhead Saban wanted, so why don't we let Dom Capers try something else? We don't need Randy McMichael since we got David Martin. Joey Porter's worth 32 Million.

We gotta dump these guys quickly. Cameron and Mueller are the Atom Bomb and we're looking at Nuclear Winter. You could stick a Flounder cap and a head set on a chimpanzee, stick him on the sidelines, he'd have the same record as Cameron and Mueller. Think about that.

p.s. Lay off Derek Hagan. He's the best WR on the team. At least he can break a tackle. And people seem to be forgetting that TD he caught surrounded by 4 Jets on a pass Trent Green never should've thrown.

Now Armando if you were the coach in the heat of the moment your decisions might be different then what you are questioning on your post. Like you write a post and we can question your comments but if we would write the blog we might say similar comments to the way writers see it. To be the critic in this world of pointing fingers is kind of easy but to be the decision maker is hard! I'm the first one to say Cam is Randy's yes man but we do need to see his side.

I am sick to death of indecision. I supported getting an offensive coach. Cameron makes weak decisions. That is what is costing the games. Are we going for the future? Why play Lemon at all? Whay not let Ginn play from the first game? Why isn't everyone going for it? We were 0-7. We ain't going to the Super Bowl. So why not build now.Monday nights play calling was classic Cam. Half time is 10 seconds away. He is happy with a tied score. He throws the ball and doesn't run it. Everything in the book says run it. He doesn't want to run it, so lets say throw it. I like the idea. We don't have anything to lose. Why throw it short? Why even have a reciever short. Send everyone out for a pass. Throw the football into the endzone or into the middle of the field about 20 yards down. Go for it or run it, but don't give Pittsburgh another chance by running a short crossing route passin play that only eats up 3 seconds. That is risky and dumb. Short passing routes are the ones that provide the defense a touchdown if they get the ball. What is painfully obvious to most is not so obvious to Cameron and he should be fired. Blame the whole stinking mess on him. Hire his previous boss. He always had winning teams. I Kevin, am sorry for ever saying that this coach would be good and I apologize for making that mistake. See Wayne it is that easy.

Now Armando if you were the coach in the heat of the moment your decisions might be different then what you are questioning on your post. Like you write a post and we can question your comments but if we would write the blog we might say similar comments to the way writers see it. To be the critic in this world of pointing fingers is kind of easy but to be the decision maker is hard! I'm the first one to say Cam is Randy's yes man but we do need to see his side.

The biggest disappointment of the night was the terrible job the OLine, and Running Backs did blocking for John Beck -- it was ridiculous. They were in MAX PROTECT formation and they still had guys coming in free at the QB. Where did they learn to block, matador school??!! Can you say OLE!? John was playing well enough to have scored in that game if he had some consistent blocking up front -- that, more than anything else, cost Miami the game.

Cougar96, you hit the nail on the head. Beck wasn't given much time to throw, especially during those 4th down plays. They were the right calls by Cam (though I'm not sure why Beck wasn't in shot gun formation) but the execution by the OL was horrible.

If Cam had gone for the field goal and Feely missed, he would be criticized for that as well.

This team has not progressed enough to run trick plays. I laugh every time Miami tries to run end arounds, flea flickers etc. CAM YOU IDIOT! keep it simple, let Beck progress as a QB and stop treating him like a baby. He's confident, poised, aware, let him throw the damn ball. Our RB's suck so much. How hard it is to block for a second.

Armando Thankyou for finally bringing this situation up. This coach has completely lost alot of the games by his poor clock/time out management, and horrible mindless.Sorry to say this but I could have called that Monday night game and we would have gotten a WThis coach wouldn't win a high school football game right now.

Hmm.. Yeah... Am I the only one that remembers these same people getting on Wanny's ass for being too conservative and handing the ball off or taking the field goal each time?Most writers said then that the Dolphins lacked a "killer instinct" for not going for the win.

Armando, After reading your blog for the last few weeks its become crystal clear. Your aim is to write your entries to get a maximum negative reaction from your readers. Your editors must love you putting up such a high post count from this blog. To bad there are so many readers who fall right into the web you weave. With the Herald taking such a big hit in the print business, god help them if allowing this crap is their answer to help them survive.

One of the best commentaries I have ever seen. I have been saying this for weeks. Cam is not fundamentally sound as a head coach. I would ordinarily give a first year coach a pass. But Cameron has cost this team wins on SEVERAL occasions. Unfortunately, the owner of this team has no idea of what constitutes a sound head coach.

I'm definity running out of patience with Cameron. The thing that is being overlooked here is the nature of this game based on the conditions. This game was going to be won by the team that managed field position. Cameron's foolish decisions all during the course of the game were made with total disregard for the impact they would have on field position.

The Dolphins started nearly every drive inside it's own 20 yard-line and many of those were inside the 10. Nearly every Pittsburgh possession was inside Dolphin territory! In a game with these conditions it was imperative to win the field position battle. Going for it on 4th down and continuously giving Pittsburgh the short field while leaving the Dolphins with 90 yard drives was just plain stupid.

This happened because Cameron was too busy focusing on the offense and forgetting that he is a headcoach and should be doing what was in the best interest of the team. An OC is always going to lobby the headcoach to go for it on 4th down but the objective headcoach is going to look at the big picture and try to win the field position battle. Cameron cannot separate himself from the offense and do was is right for the team.

I have been with the group here that does not want to see another change in coaching because of the lack of continuity the change presents. But I am now leaning toward showing Cameron the door. The best thing that can happen, in my opinion, is to demote Cameron to OC when the season is over, keep all the coaches we have now and hire a real head coach.

I am still fuming over this lack of a big picture view of the game which is the responsibility of the headcoach PERIOD. As I have said before, Cameron is overwhelmed and these foolish decisions point it out glaringly.

1. I hate to second-guess and don't, because coaches know more football than me and there is usually a good reason for doing what they do. BUT ... this blog shows the problem is not a rare happenstance of fate. I see a pattern of questionable decisions. Furthermore, if you go back to my live blogs you see on there, in real time, that I disagreed with several of Cam's decisions. It is not a second guess.

2. Charlotte, if you've read this blog lately you see that I applauded the Dolphins for playing young players, that I applauded the Dolphins for having an open mind about Ricky Williams, that I applauded the job Randy Mueller has done. That you choose to harp on the negative posts and the negative posts only shows an inability to balance the truth of what's been written.

3. I was one of those writers who criticized Dave Wannstedt for being too conservative. That does not mean the pendulum has to swing completely over to the other side. That doesn't mean you simply throw caution to the wind and go for it on fourth-and-15 instead of playing field position and punting. Wisdom is achieved by discerning balance. Too much of one thing or the other is foolish.

I agree that Cam has made mistakes however trivial; However costly. All coaches do Belichek does, Dungy does, all do. I feel that Cam's mistakes are more pronounced because our team is winless. I believe one way to resolve some of these issues would be to hire an OC (vs. firing Cam) I think that this will result in crisper more efficient play calling and clock management. it would take the edge off of the game for Cam.

utCam is thought to be an offensive genius--yet everything listed here is a bad decision having nothing to do with him as head coach.--I agree with Edswood..last year against the Pats he called a stupid series of plays that lost the game for SD..Under 2 minutes and SD has the lead-1st down LT for 7 yards, 2nd down PASS, incomplete, 3rd down PASS, incomplete, punt and Brady leads them back for victory.

Everyone screams for an offensive coach and when he gambles on his offense you all cry out for his head. You're referring to his offense as mundane and predictable, yet you want him to constantly do nothing but run Ronnie Brown against Houston. The pitch out to Chatman against Philly sure did look alot like a HB pass but the pitch from Beck was poor. Had it not been he had a receiver 1 on 1 with a D-lineman in the end zone. You're like a fantasy geek who looks solely at the stats and ignores everything else surrounding play. Sounds to me like you attended the Wanny and Saban school of offense. Yes he goes for it on 4th down but the last time I checked, the Phins were number 1 in the league on 4th down conversions. And as for drafting, his draft class has already produced more than our last 2 coaches.

On the Houston Game you were right on the mark. It was a bad call all the way throwing the ball instead of running it and killing time. That lost hurt since I am not an expert and I was barking at Cameron from my living room. As for the rest of the play calling it wasn't to bad. Cam comes from San Diego were he had an explosive offense that made trick plays and made them well. He doesn't have those players but I am sure the players he does have believe they can do it and he at least tries to give them the chance to prove it. As for all the other calls, you said it yourself

"We all know, and grudgingly accept, that Miami's talent misses opportunities to make plays."

So accept it and move on, the players will get better with every game.

Armando, Well it is good to see this list, which to me shows a pattern of indecisiveness in Cameron. It also appears that you seem to be let down by Cameron and want to get even by taking out your anger against him. I do disagree with your assessments on the Pittsburgh game. On that field any field goal attempt longer than 35 yards by a kicker with a medium strength leg is a very bad idea. I am not even sure that Stoyonovich in his prime would be able to hit a 40+ yarder on that field, much less Feeley. So going for it was actually the choice with the best chance of success. (also I played in my first game in conditions like that and I botched 3 center snap in the mud that caused turnovers).

I'm glad somebody else sees all the bonehead coaching errors! If you are not going for it on 4th and 6, why the heck would you go for it on 4th and 11? In a scoreless game, ya gotta put points on the board!!! Geez...

Some say your too negative and should write for another team, etc. etc.

But I applaud you for having a balanced blog that points out the positives and negatives of this team.

And I cannot believe that you made this list, as i was intending to make a similar list for some of the rabid, delusional in denial Cam supporters on this forum. So you saved me some time. So thanks for that.

My list would have been much longer, though. And I do disagree with you on the Washington game. I believe Cam's decisions did cost us that game, and even said that to the guys i was with during that game. First, he clearly tried to end the first half by running out the clock instead of trying to get in scoring range before the half. Then Cam was clearly trying to let the clock run out in the 4th quarter, trying for overtime, leaving the game to be decided by a coin toss, instead of going for the win with enough time remaining to get down field and get a last second field goal. We all know Washington won the coin toss and went right down and got the overtime win with a field goal. That set the stage for the rest of the season and certainly, looking back, was a foreshadow of Cam's decisions to come.

Thanks for the article.

Wondering where the Cam supporters are again?!? Some of which who are usually quite vocal?!?

Lest we forget all the adulation Cam has received for having the cajones to go for it on fourth down with better success than any other team in the NFL. Have any of you ever considered that he is trying to instill CONFIDENCE in an offense that may be lacking in that area and especially in sending that message to Beck that he believes in him? That may pay bigger dividends later. He was 0-10. He took a big risk. Something a 7-3 team would not have done. Oh well. Do any of you doubt that Beck can find the open man and make the throw? He did it all the way down the field on that drive. The MaxProtect was working. But somehow he get nailed and the protection was blown. Had his team executed, that was a first down. Oh well. That's a first down and we score a touchdown and win, and finally Cam has come into his own. I BELIEVE Beck can make that throw but he got blindsided and that is the line's fault, not Cam's. There is more to play calling than calling plays. Don't send a message to your team that you don't believe. Win together and lose together.

Why not hire Urban Myer he is in Florida and he took a no nothing team in Utah and made them a bowl winner and they never lost a game the whole season! He is the best coach out there! And he love coaching!

Armando -- Have you, or do you plan to, bring this up with Cam?Will you ask him if he feels his decisions during the game are hurting the team, given the 4th down call at Pitts, the ill-advised passing plays at Houston and buffalo, the squibs at NYJ, etc.

You left out that in the Houston game, the late punt was in favor of trying a long field goal. If I recall correctly, Houston's game-winning field goal was roughly the same length as what Feely's attempt WOULD have been, had Cam not opted to punt.

Cameron's an idiot, so was Saban and so Wanny. They're all idiots! The decision making is the biggest hinderance on the team. The play calling is second as we are becomign more and more predictable week to week. Beck outplayed Rothlisberger, the running game was doing nothing, yet the idiot wouldn't let Beck open it up a bit. Every first down was cursed by a run.

Oh and you missed one more mistake. Calling a play-action pass on 4th down.

"He was 0-10. He took a big risk. Something a 7-3 team would not have done. Oh well"

Going for it on 4th and 15 in that weather, with the option of pinning them deep with a punt, is 'taking a big risk' about like playing blackjack and taking another card while sitting on 20. It's very low percentage, isn't going to instill confidence in your decision making to anyone watching, and in general is foolish.

There's a big difference between taking a big risk and doing something suicidal.

Cam simply isn't a head coach. Armando only touched the surface of his bad decision-making. Why do we have no timeouts by the two minute warning? Why does Cam repeat all of his 'rainy weather game' mistakes when he just had a rainy weather game to learn from in London 3 weeks earlier?

He isn't the guy. I just hope it doesn't take Wayne 2 years longer than everyone else to figure this out again (we ALL knew Wanny had to go at the end of '02).

We've had some comparisons to Cam and Jimmy Johnson's first year at Dallas at 1-15 on these forums. The Cam supporters use these rebuttals in support of keeping Cam around.

So let's do compare ol Jimmy and Cam.

We all know Jimmy was in 5 New Years day bowls at UM, winning one National Championship and playing for another in 5 years, before he LEFT UM to go on to win back to back Superbowls for the Cowboys.

A quick Google search on Cam's days at Indiana shows an 18-37 record, with weekly new records of low attendance to the games and calls for him to be fired before he was FIRED after 5 years as Head Coach.

So, I guess you can say the one common trait between the two is that they both carried on their traditions...

Look up the facts yourself. Don't take my word for it. Educate yourself, and then ask yourself, is this the guy that will take the Dolphins to the Superbowl???

No, I don't believe the team should fire Cameron. Yes, he has made some bad decisions--many of which can be attributed to poor clock management and play calling. I remember back in the offseason, it was suggested that taking on the offensive coordinator role and head coaching role at the same time would be too much, especially for a rookie coach. That's what's happening with Cameron. He has to juggle way too much out there at the same time. He can't make adjustments on the field that effectively because he's trying to call plays out there all by himself. In football, being able to respond quickly to what the other side throws at you is essential, at all stages of the game. That is why we have missed out on so many opportunities this season (and consequently why there have been so many close games this year). Perhaps the team should hire an offensive coordinator that helps out with the play calling, while keeping Cameron on as HC. That will give him an opportunity to manage the entire game more effectively. Also special teams needs an overhaul. I would keep Dom Capers and Randy Mueller onboard though. The key move that needs to be made in the offseason (or perhaps sooner) is hiring an offensive coordinator.

I am not on the Cam Kool-Aid, but he is a rookie, and he is a better option than someone new---again. I say he is one or two seasons after this to prove he has learned some things and to infuse some talent. Because whether you agree or not, his future rides on Beck and Ginn, not his play-calling.

It is a double-edged sword. You know he brings a lot to the table, yet he is inexperienced. You don't want him gone completely but yo want to see some improvement. I do believe that some of his decisions have cost us games late, but the fact is we had enough talent to execute properly all game long, it wouldn't come down to one possession and one decision. If Marty doesn't drop-if Ricky doesn't fumble-if my aunt had balls....etc. If you skate by on a field goal, you didn't play well, just well enough. If we play well, these decisions aren't so huge. Parcells is known for blowing 1st and Goals all the time. So is Billick. The thing is, if you are up by 14 it doesn't matter so much.

I do agree.Those calls to go for it instead of trying a field goal got me ,my friends and probably most of the talking heads who bothered wasting hours of their lives watching this joke of a team,to think one thing.The man called Cam Cameroun is not NFL coach material period.Your record is who you are,whether you like it or not.

I don't care anymore...Tired of wasting so many hours of my life watching this mess getting worse and worse year after year after year.....I have a new hobby now : I drive my wife to the mall then cut the lawn.Then I take a peak at the Pats on Prime time TV.Thanks Wayne!Good bye every one!!I will see you again whenever we get a new owner.

I find it strange that one day I like your posts and another, I think your a Pats fan. How easily you can stomp on our team and point out the loses, but where is your insight as to the direction of this team.

First of all, Cam turned our Oline and running game around.He didnt rush Beck in so parasite journalists didnt froth at the mouth waiting to call him a bust.This team even though it is losing, is not getting blown out. The defense is improving every game, even with a limp secondary. (Did you know we are in the top 5 against the pass)With all the injuries on offense, do you think Cam can play the offense he is trying to implement? Of course not you transparent hack.

I give the team the credit its due, but all in all, the year is done. Its evaluation time. As long as we concentrate on getting one win, we lose focus on what matters, getting the players we need in, and the players we dont out.

FYI- Posts like this are why dolfans are some of the worst in the NFL. Back your team in the good and bad.

I can not believe it. None sense finally wrote about what the moron has done to this team. Tha's what you need to keep doing. hammer the guy so he gets fired. Do it for us. For this I give you 10 points. Want 10 more? I need you to write about what Laurence Timmons did to Ricky, because in my heart I know it was done intencionally. Watch the video from every angle and pay close attention, and you'll see how T's leg goes on an angle towards Ricky's back so he stays on the ground and don't reach for the football. This could have happend to any player. So. I give you 10 more points and you will be on my book. Cam you suck, hoping don't see you around next year. Leave the Dolphins and go try to coach a football team for Castro and Chavez. Beck shoot down the jets. Signed by Diaz the Coach hater.

I've gotta say, I've been behind Cam all season cos he's a rookie head coach and prone to mistakes but lately i'm thinking what the hell is he doing. 2 timeouts in the last minute of the 2nd quarter against pittsburgh, do we try anything!! No we run a play let the clock run out and not even try anything then in the 2nd half we waste timeouts. I dont think we should have kicked the FG but we should have punted and tried to pin Pittsburgh in bad field position for the first time all game, in bad weather conditions like we had Monday Night field position is key and ours sucked all night but when we had a chance to change it Cam called the wrong play and gave it back to them and they won. The Jets game is key now, we should win, Beck is good enough, lets see what plays Cam allows him to call, I'm beginning to think Cam should be kept on next season as OC and a new HC hired like Cowher or Schottenheimer even cos right now Cam seems out of his depth.

Armando - your negativity really ticks me off. You post accurate "breaking news" - that's about it... and that's because of your quality source(s). Stick to reporting and pose questions - we already know your opinions and we know that you blow your own horn and probably... well, I won't go there. Cam - the guy can't catch a break. He isn't perfect, but neither was JJ was he went 1-15 in his 1st season - talent helps. Cowher and Parcells - I don't want them.

Dolphan asked you a question about the obvious stomp on Williams and I quote 'Why are you not writing about this??'. I think we would all be interested in your views (and it WAS a deliberate stomp - everyone knows that) or would this not sit well with your 'This Ricky Cant Carry The Load' assassination job. Come on Armando - lets hear ya!.

Some bad decisions may have been made but some of those examples you used are ridiculous. We lost to Buffalo because Beck didn't start?? After two games some of you supposed fans are calling for Lemon to come back because Beck hasn't led a scoring drive yet against 2 of the NFL's best defenses and both in horrible conditions. The one bad thing Cameron is guilty of right now is trying to protect his QB so much that he has become predictable the rest of the problems are simply lack of talent.

And Im SICK of you people saying its because of a lack of talent. WE WON 6 GAMES LAST YEAR, HELLO!?!?! Entire defenses do NOT age so dramatically in one year as to go from 6 wins to 0. Sorry people, even when you dont have talent, the WORST coach in the NFL can still win a game or 2. Not Cam.

Yes, as I have been saying for weeks and weeks, Cam suck and needs to be fired.

Bring in Shula to clean up the mess and look for a coach that exudes respect, knows how to win, and has class. Then, keep Shula on board to run quality control and train someone to replace him in the quality control department.

Yes, I saw the light long ago, but better late than never. Fire Cam Now!

Great article, Armando. I think the examples you pointed out are more than just 'calculated risks' that didn't pay off. They show a lack of some pretty basic football strategy concepts (e.g., "if you're down by two scores late in the 4th quarter, you HAVE to get it to a one score game" or "in a defensive slug fest in adverse weather conditions, field position is EVERYTHING"). They also demonstrate a troubling inability to make decisions under pressure. It is this, and not the questionable draft or 0-11 record with a talentless, injury-plagued team, that tell me that Cam Cameron does not have what it takes to be a successful head coach in the NFL. Hopefully it won't take Huizenga five years to figure this out like it did with Wannstedt.

Armando: 3. I was one of those writers who criticized Dave Wannstedt for being too conservative. That does not mean the pendulum has to swing completely over to the other side. That doesn't mean you simply throw caution to the wind and go for it on fourth-and-15 instead of playing field position and punting. Wisdom is achieved by discerning balance. Too much of one thing or the other is foolish.

Agreed:

It is within your full rights as a paid journalist to question decisions. It makes for some good reading on occassion too. The one thing that all of your articles have ignored is that your readership is that the readership of the Herald (online) is no longer ignorant on Dolphins matters. Your writing style is consistent with that of a day that has past. You write as though you think we do not know what to think. We are searching for information that we cannot find on an internet message board. You give us opinions that we can find on a message board. Your detractors are mainly just infuriated because your message board voice is louder than their message board voice. The question that this raises is "by what authority"? You seem just as ignorant (and you have admitted as much) as the rest of us as it pertains to this team. The question you have to ask yourself is "Why?" The question I continually ask is "Can Armando (or any other writer) find a real story to write?" A story that isn't mired in his own ill prepared opinion. Could it be a story that is based upon fact finding and prepared opinion?

Oh and by the way, those close calls you speak of and questionable calls.....if they worked you wouldnt write a blog about it.If Cam went for the field goal after seeing it didnt work the first time, why would you do it again at a longer distance? Armando, please, if you want a reason why we are doing so poorly, look no further than thye dropped balls, the bad run D that noone expected coming into this year...including you Armando. Cam has nothing to work with and is trying to build a team. Not buying players for the moment like his predisessors. For all those who are calling for Cams head, you dont know what it takes to build a team or be successful year in and year out.

By what authority? By the authority that I have covered this team since 1990, and have talked to more players and coaches and scouts and agents and GMs than I can remember. By that authority.

I admitted being ignorant? Nope, that's not true. Get your facts correct.

And you wanted a blog post based on fact? Look right in front of your nose, dude. This post is ALL about facts. Those instances in the games I cited are not a figment of my imagination. They actually happened. That's called a fact.

As to my detractors, they come on here to criticize and that is their right. Sometimes they make good points and I try to learn from it. Sometimes they don't. You didn't.

I'm BACK!!! Ok let drop my two cents!! Cam is nothing more than a decent offensive cordinator!! There are MANY more questionable decisions that can be added to Armando's list!! But just from the few he posted you can clearly see Cam isn't learning from his mistakes!!! And that JOKE of a GM Muller isn't helping Cam adjust to being a Head Coach!!!

To my dear miami dolfans:We all know in New England that you are very much into history.After all that is all you got ,until the end of this season that is .So as a favor from a Pats fan here is a little history for you: "Patriots, Dolphins mark first time since 1984 that NFL has 11-0 and 0-11 teams".Boston Herald

Your first opinion for the three points is silly. It's a 48 yard field goal in the worst field conditions this side of the ice bowl. You criticize Cameron for not kicking a 48 yarder. Yet you disregard what the other NFL Coach (Steelers) chose to do. What did he do?

He punted on 4th and 14 from the Miami 36. On the next possession Miami took the ball down to the Steelers 31. This was your questionable non-kick. The other NFL coach chose not to kick one only five yards longer on the preceding possession. He punted and Miami took it 70 yards. So was the Steelers coach correct to punt from the opponents 36. Should he have kick the field goal?

On the very next possession the Steelers coach attempted a field goal from the Miami 26. That field goal was missed. On the next possession Miami drove to within one yard of that same spot. It was the same spot because the quarter changed (thus the teams changed sides). Cameron just saw your "chip shot" 48 yarders missed. In your infinite wisdom, you are kicking.

So let's look at the range that has been established. On the 36, the Steelers are not kicking the field goal. On the 31, Miami is not kicking the field goal. On the 26, the Steelers attempt and fail to make the field goal. What would you gather the range to be Armando? Obviously it was past the 26.

Good for you that you have opinions but that does not make the calls questionable. The questionable call was attempting the kick from the 26 and missing. Obviously the other coach didn't know his kickers range.

So the point here is that you are killing Cameron for going for it when he is on the opponents side of the field. His fledgling offense barely got over there. You want him to play conservative ala Dave Wannstedt and the Steelers Coach. The fact you ignore is that you would kill the same coach (Cameron) for not going for it. Presently you are advocating kicking a field goal. The Steelers kicker proved the range you request for a kick was not attainable. Every possession in that game left Cameron with the choice of Punt or go for it.

Let me try a different approach here. I have been critical of the substance yet I have not inquired as to why we receive the same old stuff. My problem with this stuff is that none of this is original. I mean the blog say "Dolphins In Depth". I'm finding nothing "In Depth" about it.

The Dolphins have a number of scouts on the staff. Where are they? Where have they been? Which bowl games will they be at? Do you know any of them? We know the problem with this team is within the draft. These are the foot soldiers of the draft. Why do we never receive word of the how, the when, the where of these individuals? Sure this kind of story would take a certain amount of tact but it's a story nonetheless.

Where is Cam Cameron right now? Is he in the film room? Is his staff in the film room? Are his players in the film room? What about "a day in the life" story? You said you talk to players. Where are their heads at? Who is putting in the extra work? Who has quit?

We've got a rookie center who has played every game. I haven't seen one quote from this guy all year. What's the sense in you talking to players if it's not relayed to us? Are all you beat writers so caught up in friendship that you can't get a quote?

What about Randy Mueller? Where is he? What are his intentions with this roster? Will he turn over even more? Is there free agents coming up that he has past relationships? You know, someone he really like when they came out of college and he's been waiting to get the guy.

My point is that there is a ton of material out there to gather a story on this down trotten team. We are bombarded with opinion. You know what is said about opinions. That is why I'm never impressed with yours. I'm not impressed with many opinions. They are what they are - opinions. I wish opinions were saved for the editorial page. Then they might be interesting again.

So it's questionable now to go for 4th and 15 but it's not questionable to punt from the 31? That is comical. I'm mean really......

Cam Cameron chooses to punt from the 31. He's attempting to pin the Steelers within the 10 yard line right? So we are looking for a 25 yard (net) punt. I would say he had no guts or didn't trust his offense. Worse yet, you (with the large podium) would say he had no guts or didn't trust his offesne.

I have read and I find nothing questionable about the call. The call was an agressive approach. I'd rather see an aggressive call than a conservative call with this team.

I'll give you one thing. I saw Cameron's face before he called time out. This team is forcing him to second (and third) guess his decisions. He may have had a man (Mularkey) in his ear saying kick the field goal. He may have had a man (Mularkey) in his ear calling that same play. He called time out for the moment. I viewed that time out as a waste....

The long and short of the play call was that it was the fourth DIFFERENT attempt to punch it in. A dive had been called for a one yard loss. A pass had been called to the TE. An off tackle run had been called.

The final play was a "sucker" play. I've got a series of videos from Vince Lombardi where he exclaims his love for his sucker play. Lombardi let the defensive tackle come unblocked to run right past the ball carrier. Lombardi boasts on video about a sucker play versus Bob Lily winning a championship game. That is "Hall of Fame" Dallas Cowboy Bob Lily. Are you telling me that it is now a questionable call to run a sucker play versus some guy named Jaquen Thomas? I hope I spelled his name right......

All that series told me was that Cam Cameron didn't trust his rookie QB enough to spread the field and take a slant......

This is a situation where you and I vehemently disagree. I must place this in some sort of context before getting into the "questionable call" as this all relates to the Dolphins QB situation.

I've said it before and I'll stick by this OPINION. Cam Cameron and Randy Mueller didn't bank on Trent Green. They were looking for some wins. They drafted their QB of the future. Trent Green was there to get some wins. Notice that I am saying SOME wins. I figure this team was a seven win team (at best) at the start of the season. Well that QB didn't pan out but I didn't like the other choice neither. Would you rather we have kept Culpepper? It has become obvious that it would have been fool hearted to start the season with Lemon too. So this team is what it was. Cameron and Mueller could change some things on the team but they couldn't change the fact that we passed up Drew Brees the previous year (for the second time in Dolphins history).

John Beck was a rookie QB in protective custody. I do not think Cameron had any intention to play him at all this year. If Green was still the starter and we had five wins right now you would be writing "Is it time for Beck?" Cameron would be saying "we are playing to win" and his sole intention for the rookie would be to shield him from the pros and train him to become a pro. That doesn't fit the billing with the press nor the fans. That is why coaches never say that but that is what they want to do.

Cleo Lemon is a backup quarterback in the NFL. Playing him in this game was the fourth chance that Cleo Lemon received. Cleo resigned with the Dolphins for that chance. You do not go against your word if you want him to resign as your backup. Lemon got his chance. He may have a suitor come calling in the offseason. I wouldn't bet against it. He's a solid backup. But that suitor is probably only calling for a backup role. Now Lemon must weigh a choice between the backup job for a man he has never played for or Cam Cameron. The same Cam Cameron that gave him four games to show what he could do. He could not do it. All of that ain't Cam Cameron's fault and Cam Cameron earned respect from a player in a "hired gun" world.

The mistake in the endzone was all on Cleo Lemon. Cam Cameron was giving the player a chance to make a play. He didn't make a play. He goofed but he's a backup after all.

Ouch!Not Cam's fault. I don't think many other NFL franchises would have hired Cameron. 18-36 record doesn't inspire confidence. Then again George Bush bankrupted three companies and we hired him as Prez...that worked out.

Armando, you are exactly right. I do not care what others say about you. I have been saying it since the beginning with the wasted timeout(s) agaisnt the Redskins.

Cam does not manage the clock right. He and his players waste timeouts and do not show a sense of urgency unless they are down by 10 points or more. The defense (which has played better of late) plays decent until the Dolphins take the lead. The other team then goes right down the field against them.

You cannot lose 6 games by 3 points each, and say that coaching doesn't play a part in it. Decent coaching would have won at least 2 of those games.

About Derek Hagan...Most fans complained about Chris Chambers dropping balls. One even complained that he made only 1 pro bowl since he became a pro. You fans were eager for Chambers to leave. Now, you have a guy in Hagan who drops more balls than Chambers ever did. In addition, he never makes big plays. Wide receiver is not a position that needs to be addressed in the draft. It is too risky. The Dolphins need to find receivers through free agency. Thanks to Cam and the decision makers for making a position that could have waited (at least another 2 or 3 years) to be addressed, a position of immediate concern. Hopefully, they have a great plan in place with the additional 2nd round pick from San Diego.

As if no one has noticed, the defense has played better, and the offense has gotten worse. It is time that both units played well on the same day.

I like seeing some healthy criticism of the coaching choices. Keep it up! They are not working well together and have made a number of rookie mistakes.

I would sum it up as the front office and the coaching staff is a "risk". Before the draft, the owner needs to make significant changes- replace the front office who then replaces the coaching staff. He needs a trusted advisor to lead the effort who knows how to rebuild. And before he starts, he remember all the bad advice he has been given so far!

About this blog

Armando Salguero has covered South Florida sports for 25 years, starting as a 19-year-old in 1982. He's covered the Dolphins since 1990 and hosts a Dolphins hour show every weeknight 7-8 on 790 TheTicket (790theticket.com). He has worked nationally for ESPN and also writes sports columns for The Miami Herald.